Conventional sealing assemblies are employed in a wide variety of environments and settings, such as for example, in mechanical apparatuses, to provide a fluid-tight seal. The sealing assemblies are usually positioned about a rotating shaft or rod that is mounted in and protrudes from a stationary mechanical housing.
Conventional sealing systems can employ a number of annular elastomeric sealing elements or mechanical sealing devices disposed within a groove formed in a gland in the housing or mounted to externally to the apparatus housing The annular sealing elements are sized to provide interference between the sealing elements and the outer surface of the rod. The degree of interference provided preferably allows smooth axial movement of the rod through the sealing elements while concomitantly providing fluid sealing between the rod and the gland.
Such conventional sealing systems suffer from a number of deficiencies. The annular sealing elements do not retain the appropriate interference to maintain sealing integrity. Also, depending on the characteristics of the fluid, these elements may deform due to adhesion created from the high viscosity of the fluid and/or reaction and subsequent solidification of the fluid. In the case of axial mechanical seal devices, which typically utilize ceramic, carbon and other hard face materials, these faces can be destroyed due to the effects of adhesion between the stationary and dynamic faces. The adhesion occurs during the down period of the equipment. The characteristics of operating in high viscosity fluids also have detrimental effects on the operation of such devices.